Scotland’s tech trade body has received a European award for its cluster development work supporting digital firms.
ScotlandIS, a membership organisation made up largely of Scottish SMEs, was re-awarded a Silver Cluster Management Excellence accreditation by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA), placing them in an elite class of clusters around the world.
The accreditation recognises ScotlandIS’ continued development of industry clusters through long-standing learning, creating special interest groups and strategy development.
Among these efforts has been the creation of ScotlandIS’ Scottish Cluster Ecosystem Alliance, which brings together representatives from across the tech sector – from fintech, cyber, traveltech and data organisations – to exchange knowledge and promote cross-sector collaboration.
The Silver Excellence Accreditation recognises that impeccable standards are being followed and ensures international credibility across global cluster management organisations.
ScotlandIS became the first organisation in Scotland to successfully secure bronze Accreditation in 2015, gaining silver in 2020 to become the only active silver-accredited cluster management organisation in the UK.
Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, said: “To be re-accredited with a silver status for the second time is a huge honour and highlights the impactful work ScotlandIS is doing for clusters by giving them a global platform to showcase Scotland’s powerful tech sector. By collaborating with each other we continue to make a strong, collective impact across digital and tech spheres internationally.
“Our Silver Excellence Award ensures that we remain at the forefront of quality cluster development, and we look forward to the journey of achieving a gold accreditation.”
Josh Ryan-Saha, director of TravelTech for Scotland, said: “The Scottish Cluster Ecosystem Alliance is a vital resource to share expertise in cluster development and management for the technology sector. The connections we have made through the Scottish Cluster Ecosystem Alliance have directly led to joint initiatives. It has certainly improved our practice and we look forward to seeing where ScotlandIS will take this in the future.”
